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Hearing and Balance

Hearing loss is one of the three most common health problems in America. While most prevalent among adults over 60 years of age, hearing loss can affect anyone.

At ColumbiaDoctors, we are committed to the improvement of hearing, balance, and communication for people of all ages in the New York City area. Our team of highly trained audiologists performs a number of examinations to determine the presence, extent, location, magnitude, and qualities of hearing loss. If a hearing loss is identified, our patients have access to the most current technologies available to manage your hearing loss. This includes digital hearing aids, implantable devices, and assistive listening devices. When hearing loss is severe and can not be helped by hearing aids, our cochlear implant audiologists and highly skilled surgeons work together to treat hearing loss with the latest technology in Cochlear Implants.

Should I get my hearing checked?

When hearing loss is gradual, it can go undetected for long periods of time. Regular hearing tests for adults take less than an hour and can provide a baseline that may be useful if and when hearing loss does occur. Detecting hearing loss early is important for many reasons: hearing loss can be an early indicator of other health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, it can affect your balance, and it can interfere with your social interactions. Some of the symptoms that indicate an immediate need for a hearing test include:

Speech sounds mumbled or slurred

Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing sound in ears)

Problems hearing speech in a noisy area, such as a restaurant

Need to turn television volume up high

Dizziness

Take our hearing quiz to learn whether you would benefit from a hearing evaluation.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Balance Disorders

Most of us experience dizziness once in a while, but when that unsteady feeling lasts a long time or feels particularly disorienting, it's considered a balance disorder. Symptoms may include the feeling of vertigo (intense spinning) or a sensation of moving or floating even when sitting or lying down. The dizziness may come along with other symptoms such as nausea, anxiety, hearing loss, or a ringing in the ears called tinnitus. For many, dizziness significantly interferes with basic daily activities. Causes can include:

Vestibular disorders, or problems in the inner ear

Disorders in the central nervous system

Cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure or anemia

Bacterial or viral infection

Reaction to medication

Vision disturbances

At ColumbiaDoctors, our physicians use the most sophisticated diagnostic techniques to help you find the cause of your dizziness. Whatever the cause of your balance issue, our team will work with you to find the best treatment and help you return to your normal activities.

Research and Clinical Trials

Our physicians are at the cutting edge of hearing related research, working to continually improve the way hearing loss is treated. If you are interested in participating in research, you can search for clinical trials led by physician/scientists in the Department of Otolaryngology on RecruitMe.

Ana Kim, MD talks about her research involving hearing loss and the higher auditory centers of the brain.